Being Canadian is a 2015 Canadian-American documentary comedy film that was written and directed by Robert Cohen and produced by The Sibs (Colin Keith Gray and Megan Raney Aarons), in association with Movie Central and The Movie Network. The film is an examination of Canadian identity and is structured around a cross-country road trip. Cohen interviews Canadian celebrities, most of whom are comedians.
The film premiered in Canada at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto on 26 April 2015. Its US premiere in New York City on 18 September 2015 launched the Canada Cool film tour, which was sponsored by Telefilm Canada and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Critical response to the film was mixed; while some critics said it is an entertainingly patriotic love letter to Canada, others said it fails to provide a fresh perspective or meaningful answers to the questions it asks. The Writers Guild of America nominated the film for a Best Documentary Screenplay award.
Premise
Comedy writer Robert Cohen returns to Canada and sets out to find answers about Canadian identity, and the stereotypes and ignorance he encountered while living abroad. Cohen interviews several dozen Canadians and a few Americans, most of whom are comedians, posing questions he had frequently been asked. The interviews are interspersed with footage of a road trip in which Cohen travels across Canada after having spent most of his adult life working in the United States and aims to find answers and dispel misconceptions before arriving in Vancouver for Canada Day celebrations.
Interviews
Cohen conducted over 100 interviews for the film. Unless otherwise indicated, the interviewees are comedians. He also conducted brief, on-the-street interviews with the public in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, and India.
Canadians, in order of appearance:
Dan Aykroyd
Howie Mandel
Rush: Geddy Lee, musician Neil Peart, musician Alex Lifeson, musician Eugene Levy Will Arnett Caroline Rhea Morley Safer, journalist Seth Rogen Cobie Smulders Ann Luu, news anchor Tanya Memme, former Miss World Canada Martin Short Jason Priestley Catherine O'Hara Michael J. Fox Joel H. Cohen, sitcom writer Tim Long, sitcom writer Dan Signer, sitcom writer Chuck Tatham, sitcom writer George Stroumboulopoulos, TV host Alanis Morissette, singer-songwriter Kim Campbell, former prime minister Dave Foley Mike Myers David Steinberg Adrian Harewood, radio host Brigitte Gall Andrew Clark, professor Alan Thicke Alex Trebek, TV host Barenaked Ladies: Steven Page, musician Tyler Stewart, musician Kevin Hearn, musician Ed Robertson, musician Russell Peters Russell Keith Raney, rocket scientist Malcolm Gladwell, author The Trailer Park Boys (in character): John Paul Tremblay as Julian Robb Wells as Ricky LaFleur Mike Smith as Bubbles Fearless Fred, radio host Paul Shaffer, musician Nathan Fillion William Shatner, actor Manisha Krishnan, journalist Linda Allan, etiquette expert Andrew Estabrooks, brewer Mike MacDonald Christy Morgan, Bonaparte Band, Secwepemc Nation Rich Little The Royal Canadian Air Farce Marc Thuet, chef Mary Bamford, nutritionist Paul Rouillard, Dep.Dir., Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers Herbie Barnes Darrell Dennis Anton Leo, TV executive Mark Cohon, CFL commissioner Rick Mercer Susie Patricola, Cohen's mother Marsha Berniker, psychotherapist Helga Stephenson, then-CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
Americans, in order of appearance:
Kathy Griffin
Conan O'Brien
Wayne Federman
Ben Stiller
Dana Gould
Synopsis
The film opens with a brief mockumentary of Canadian Confederation, which filmmaker Robert Cohen says was met with indifference outside the country. Cohen then speaks about his childhood in Calgary, Alberta, and moving to Los Angeles, California, where he became a television sitcom writer. In his introduction, Cohen calls Being Canadian an attempt, through interviews with Canadians and foreigners while completing a cross-country road trip from 22 June to 1 July 2013, to explore the frustrating ignorance and stereotypes he encountered while living in the US.
Outsider perceptions of Canada are illustrated with interviews and anecdotal evidence, such as the idea all Canadians live in igloos in a barren landscape. Numerous Canadians who have worked in the US entertainment industry note their nationality was met with confusion or suspicion, which is likened to McCarthy-era paranoia of the invisible outsider.